Undergraduate Major Program in Judaic Studies
The undergraduate major in Judaic Studies provides a unified and cohesive major within the College of Arts and Sciences and utilizes the established resources of two other colleges. The Bachelor of Arts in Judaic Studies allows students to focus in three pivotal areas: Judaic Studies; Judaic Studies and Elementary Education; and Judaic Studies and Voice.
The University’s offerings in Judaic Studies are administered through the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies, an endowed, academic program within the College of Arts and Sciences. Judaic Studies is an interdisciplinary program of study which focuses on the Jews and Judaism, including but not limited to, historical, linguistic, religious, sociological, political, and philosophical perspectives. The chronological scope of Judaic Studies spans the periods from the beginnings of ancient Israel through the modern Jews and modern Israel.
Bachelors of Arts in Judaic Studies - Requirements for the Major - 42 Credits
The University of Hartford offers a Bachelor of Arts in Judaic Studies administered by the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies. For those without previous background in Hebrew language, it consists of 42 credits including three required, core courses in Jewish history (9 credits) and two years of modern Hebrew (12 credits). The modern Hebrew requirement may be waived for students who demonstrate equivalent fluency. Such students will be expected to complete six additional credits in the courses below. The distribution of each category of elective courses appears in parentheses. General Education requirements must be completed according the requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences. With the approval of the Director, credit may be granted for selected courses given by other colleges and universities. The Department limits transfer credits for the major to eighteen (18). Courses required for the major may not be taken on a pass/no pass basis. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required of Judaic Studies Majors for graduation.
Writing Requirement
Departmental policy requires that students in upper-level Judaic Studies courses undertake substantial written work exclusive of examinations. It is also departmental policy that oral reports may not be substituted for written work. Faculty will read, comment on, evaluate, and (if necessary) return this work for revision and reevaluation. The emphasis is on helping students learn to write effective analytical research papers.
CORE COURSES (21 credits)
HISTORY |
JS 308/HIS/308/REL 308 |
Bible and Archaeology |
JS 214/HIS/214/REL 214 |
Jewish History from the Exile to the Enlightenment |
JS 216/HIS 216/REL 216 |
Modern Jewish History |
LANGUAGE : |
HBR 113-114 |
Elementary Conversational Hebrew |
HBR 115-116 |
Hebrew Language-Intermediate I & II |
ELECTIVE COURSES - Majors must take seven of the courses below (21 credits); two must be 300 or 400 level courses. No more than 4 courses (12 credits) may be taken in non-JS courses.
General
|
JS 215/HIS 215/REL 215 |
An Introduction to World Religions |
Bible (Minimum: 1 course)
|
JS 306/HIS/306/POL 306/SOC 306 |
Archaeology of the Land of Israel. |
JS 307/HIS 307/POL/SOC 307 |
Archaeological Field Methods Material Culture
(Winter and Summer Terms) |
JS 341/ENG 341/REL 341 |
The Bible and Literature |
JS 415/HIS 415/REL 415 |
The Hebrew Prophets |
SOC 338 |
Archaeology |
History (Minimum: 2 courses) |
JS 228/HIS 228/REL 228 |
American Jewish History |
JS 229/HIS 229/ PSY 229/POL 209 |
The Holocaust |
JS 336/HIS 336 |
The Arabs and Israel |
HIS 310 |
Civilization in the Ancient World |
HIS 315 |
The Muslim World 632-1798 |
HIS 335 |
The Muslim World Since 1798 |
|
|
These courses require HIS 100 or HIS 101 as prerequisites. HIS 100 is a required course within the General Education requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences.
HBR 113-114 may also be used to fulfill the two-semester foreign language Basic Literacy requirement of the General Education requirements
Religious Thought and Philosophy |
JS 317/HIS 317/REL 317 |
The Talmud: Its History and Literary Development |
JS 318/HIS 318/ PHI 318/REL 318 |
Maimonides in Historical Context |
PHI 232/PHB 232 |
Biomedical Ethics |
PHI 282 |
Classical Philosophy: Greece and Rome |
PHI 340/REL 352 |
Philosophy of Religion |
Literature (Minimum 1 course) |
JS 315/ENG 315/ILC 315 |
Yiddish literature in Translation I |
JS 316/ENG 316/ILC 316 |
Yiddish literature in Translation II |
JS 324/ENG 324/ILC 324 |
Modern European Jewish literature |
JS 325/ENG 325 |
American Jewish Novel |
General Elective Courses |
HBR 227-228 |
Hebrew Language: Advanced I-II |
JS 190, 191, 290, 291, 390,391 |
Special Topics in Judaic Studies |
JS 380, 381 |
Independent Study in Judaic Studies |
SOC 381/WS 381 |
Women in Society |
The following courses have been previously approved as Special Topics courses and may be offered as Special Topics or permanent courses in the future:
- Ashkenazic Jewry to 1648
- Christian-Jewish Relations
- Jewish History in East Europe to 1939
- Post World War 11 Italian-Jewish Literature U.S. Immigration History
- Works of I. B. Singer
- Yiddish Language I & II
Requirements for the Minor –18 Credits
The minor in Judaic Studies requires 18 credits, three required courses and nine credits of electives. Students must meet prerequisites for courses listed in the minor. See course descriptions of electives under departmental listings. Courses required for the minor may not be taken on a pass/no pass basis. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required of Judaic Studies Minors for graduation. With the approval of the Director, credit may be granted for selected courses given by other colleges or universities. The Department limits transfer credits for the minor to nine (9).
